The Little Merman
by SongBird10
Summary: The result of a secret affair between The king of the Mer, and a handmaiden of the queen of Athens, Prince Perseus Jackson's heritage remains a mystery to everyone except his father. On his sixteenth birthday, Percy rescues a beautiful girl named Annabeth. Captured by her good nature and fierce personality, Percy strikes a deal that will change his life forever.
1. Prologue

Poseidon waited impatiently, pacing along the length of the cove. Again and again he checked the sky, watching as the sun slowly inched its way above the horizon.

Where was she? Had it been a trick?

He gave a frustrated sigh.

Even if it was, he knew he would not leave. He missed her. Perhaps too much.

Suddenly, there was a clatter on the rocks behind him. Poseidon whirled around.

There she was, his queen. Her hair was crimped and gnarled like she'd just woken up, and her clothes were hastily thrown on, but she looked no less beautiful than Poseidon could remember.

Her face lit up when she saw him, and yet...there was something in her eyes - a maturity, and a deep sadness.

She scrambled down to meet him, clutching a wrapped bundle to her chest.

When she reached him, she fell to her knees and planted a kiss square on his mouth.

When they pulled apart, Poseidon reached up and took her hand. "Sally," he whispered. "Starfish, I missed you."

It was then that he realized there were tears on her cheeks. She made a hasty move to wipe then away.

"I'm so sorry, love." She whispered. "We don't have much time."

"Time? You just got here."

Sally shook her head, managing a weak smile. "They're looking for me, even now. They want to kill us."

Poseidon's eyes flashed dangerously. "I am not in fear of some human, if they dare-"

Sally shook her head. "No love, not you. Him." She shifted the bundle in her arms, turning so that he could see whatever was inside.

Suddenly it squirmed, and a shrill cry made Poseidon reel back in surprise.

Laughing at his reaction, Sally gently rocked the bundle, murmuring soothing sounds.

When the thing had quieted, Sally again leaned toward Poseidon. And for the first time in his life, Poseidon was met by a surprise; two sea-green eyes staring back at him.

"What…"

Sally smiled at him. "Our son. Our little boy." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "He looks just like you."

The baby made a gurgling sound and waved his fists in the air.

Poseidon was stunned. A son? He had a son? That meant…

He glanced down at the baby. Sally was right, he did look a lot like him. He had the same sea-green eyes and Raven-black hair, but had Sally's sharp nose and upturned eyebrows.

Once again, the baby made a bird-like chortling sound, churning his feet and waving his little hands in the air.

Suddenly, Poseidon froze.

Feet?

He looked again at the swaddled infant, and indeed, extending from his torso, were two chubby little legs, ending in two chubby little feet.

Poseidon looked up at Sally in surprise. "He is human." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Despite just discovering the joy of having a son, Poseidon was without a doubt disappointed that he bore no evidence of harboring mer-like traits.

Sally smiled a little. "For the moment."

Confused, Poseidon frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sally nodded to the water. "I almost forgot to tell you of this." She leaned forward and without warning, submerged the baby underwater, blanket and all.

Alarmed, Poseidon surged forward. The child couldn't breathe, and certainly didn't know to hold his breath. Had Sally gone mad? Was she trying to drown him?

Poseidon wrenched the baby out of the water, expecting him to cough and wail, but instead, he appeared quite unfazed, and in fact slightly more content.

THe child laughed and clapped his wet hands together, grinning at Sally. She smiled back, but again seemed deeply saddened, and took a deep breath to keep from crying.

Sally turned to Poseidon's shocked form. "You see, love? He has more of you than just looks."

Poseidon's gaze traveled down to where she was pointing, and everything clicked together. Where the baby's legs had been mere moments before, an iridescent blue fish tail sat in their place.

Intrigued, the child slapped it against the water, watching curiously as bubbles rose to the surface.

Sally's eyes twinkled fondly. "He will grow to be a handsome boy, I'm sure."

She tucked the blanket around his tail, and watched as he snuggled into Poseidon's arms.

Poseidon looked up at her. "Sally…"

"You must take him." She said. "Take our son. Raise him under the sea."

Poseidon's face turned distraught. "Starfish...please. We can do this together."

Sally shook her head, barely holding back tears. "They will kill me. There is nothing-"

The sound of shouts interrupted her sentence, turning Sally's expression from sadness, to panic.

"Go!" She hissed. "Take him. Get out of here!"

Poseidon took her hand. "Sally, I won't-I can't-"

Her expression turned fierce. "If they find you, they will take the child. They will kill him. And I will do everything in my power to prevent this from happening."

A group of men appeared on the rocks. They shouted to each other and pointed at Sally.

"Sally, please," Poseidon begged. "Come with me. I can protect you, I will build you a palace under the sea!"

She cupped her hand to his face. "No love. You cannot. I...I must stay."

The men clambered down the rocks, eyeing Poseidon and the child in his arms.

Sally pushed the hair out of the baby's eyes and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Goodbye my little perseus." She whispered. There were tears streaming down her face. "I love you."

 **A/N:**

 **Hey guys, thank you so much for reading this. I just had this idea and wasn't sure what to do with it, but thanks to your encouragement it's officially a fanfic!**

 **I hope you liked the idea, and if you didn't, tell me what to fix. Also, I will be uploading another fic (Reyna centric) as soon as I get on Spring Break. It will be titled "Loop Holes", be sure to look for it!**

 **Peace out in awesomeness,**

 **Amy**


	2. Sweet Sixteen

(Percy pov.)

"No, actually, _you_ told _him_ that you couldn't care less."

I groaned and smacked a palm to my forehead. "I said that?"

Grover shrugged. "I was there, remember? You got me in trouble and everything."

I began working my hands feverishly. "Well, maybe that's a good thing, right? Like, maybe I said that because I'm not afraid…"

Grover gave me a wry smile. "Somehow, I doubt that."

I threw my hands in the air. "I can't believe I said that to my dad of all people! How stupid am I, huh?"

I slumped down on the rock and covered my face with my hands. "Gods, I'm such an idiot."

Grover swam closer and poked my fin. "Hey, he just wants to look out for you. It's not like he's trying to be a control freak, he's just worried about…"

"I know, I know, after what they did to Mom, what will they do to me?"

I looked up at my friend, a scowl pulling on my forehead. "But that's kind of dumb, don't you think? I mean, how will they even know that I'm a...that I'm…"

"The heir?"

My face paled. "Oh gods. Grover, are we supposed to be anywhere right now?"

He frowned, tapping his chin. "No...I don't think so. Are you-"

I grabbed his shoulders. "Grover I'm serious. Something to do with cake…" Our eyes widened at the same time. "Birthday!"

I smacked my forehead. "No! How on earth-"

Grover started cracking up. "Dude! How do you forget that?" He grabbed my wrist and pulled me underwater. "Come on! There's still a chance we might get there right as they start the announcements."

"You were supposed to remind me!" I accused. "If you had said, 'oh Percy, by the way you're turning 16 today, and if your dad finds out you've been to the surface, he's going to flay you alive!' That'd be great!"

Grover rolled his eyes. "Oh chill man, you're overreacting. It's not like your dad is going to go full on hurricane mode in front of all his guests."

I socked him on the shoulder. "Grover! I am _not_ overreacting. Turning sixteen is a big deal! You know, the whole 'first time I'm actually supposed to see the surface' thing? Not to mention my dad highly encouraging my interaction with other mermaids…"

Grover grinned mischievously. "Speaking of which, you meet anyone recently?"

I felt a blush rising in my cheeks. "Um, no."

He laughed. "Ha! You hesitated! Come on spill, who is she-"

"Grover."

"where and when are you guys meeting-"

"Grover!"

"What color are her eyes - oh! Is she hot? Does she-"

"Grover, shut up!" I socked him on the shoulder. "Just lay off okay? I don't have a girlfriend."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Okay okay. No need to get testy here. I was just asking."

I shot him a look but didn't respond.

With Grover, there was never such thing as "just asking".

I mean, as much as I would love to have a girlfriend, most of the mermaids I knew had exactly two words in their vocabulary: "You're" and "hot".

It was honestly pretty annoying, especially since the only girls who even had any personality at all weren't "noble enough", meaning they weren't spoiled rotten.

A good girl. Was that really too much to ask for?

 **~line break~**

Overhead, the stars had just begun twinkling, but from underneath the surface, they looked like watery blobs.

Slowly at first, the light of the stars was replaced by the much more dominant lights of the city. As we got closer, we could hear music and laughter on the streets. The people were celebrating.

On my left, Grover shot me a worried look. I ignored him and tried to swim a little faster.

When we reached the palace, it appeared to be almost deserted except for a few lights from the kitchen. The ballroom, where the party was being held, had no windows.

It was then that I saw a figure on the steps, one with a full head of honey-colored hair, and a lanky form.

The merman bowed. "My lord." He greeted. "The king-"

I elbowed him in the side. "Hey Will, what's up? Not so formal, eh?"

He seemed a little flustered by my brash attitude, decided to go with it.

"Your dad wants to see you."

Even though this message didn't surprise me, I still felt my heart sink a little. "Right, the party, I know. But please tell me he won't address me in front of the entire assembly? That'll be embarrassing."

Will chewed his lip. "Um...he uh, he's waiting for you in the throne room."

I froze. The throne room? Uh oh, this had to be serious.

"Oh...okay." My tail swished nervously. I turned to Grover. "We'll just go up there first then."

Will shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "Actually, he wants to talk to you um...alone."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Grover and I went everywhere together, no matter what. If my dad wanted me alone, and in the throne room, it had to be something really bad.

The only two times he'd done this before, were when he told me about Mom, and when I'd gone to the surface for the first time.

To be honest, I was scared.

I swallowed thickly. "Um, okay. Thanks Will. Tell...tell him I'm coming."

 **A/N:**

 **Yay! First chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed that. Honestly, it was really fun to write, and not that sorry about the cliffhanger, but the second chapter will be coming soon! (I hope)**

 **R &R**

 **-Amy**


	3. Waiting

"I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but if you think it's funny to _directly disobey me_ , you're gravely mistaken."

My tail swished back and forth, trying to quell the sick feeling in my gut.

"It's like you're slapping me in the face! You're telling me, that you couldn't care less about the laws and rules I enforce to try to keep you safe! You're saying that you don't want my help. You just want to do your own little thing."

I kept my head lowered, daring not to speak.

"I just don't understand why you're doing this." Poseidon continued. "Can you explain to me? Why you don't seem to care at all?"

I kept quiet. By the tone of his voice, I could tell Dad was really hurt by my actions. I knew he wanted what was best for me, but sometimes, it just felt like he didn't understand. I mean, he was my dad. I loved him, of course I did. But I wasn't a baby. I could take care of myself just fine. I guess he was right in that sense; I didn't need his help, and I didn't want it.

Across the room, Poseidon gave a heavy sigh. "Perseus, look at me."

Obediently, I dragged my eyes away from the floor and glanced up.

His face was hard to read. For the moment, there seemed to be a mixture of pain, anger, and sadness, all of which were caused by me. He looked both physically and emotionally fatigued.

Poseidon drew a hand across his face. "Son…"

It took me a moment to realize what he had just called me. My whole life, I could only ever remember my dad calling me 'Perseus'. Never once did he even refer to me as 'Percy' or 'buddy'.

But ' _son_ '...

I stared at him, now feeling extremely concerned. Maybe I _had_ pushed him too far. He could very well be going crazy.

Poseidon turned back to me and swam over. Cautiously, as if unsure, he placed his hands on my shoulders, and searched my eyes.

"I just don't know what to do with you."

~line break~

When we finally reached ballroom, the guest had become restless. Some of them questioned in annoyance where we were, anxious for the ceremony to begin. From outside the doors, it was relatively silent, but we could still hear the agitated murmurs of the great crowd.

I glanced back at my dad with a look of surprise. "How many people are _here_?"

He chuckled, a slight gleam in his eyes. "Don't worry. There will be far more at Triton's coronation."

I squirmed anxiously. "That's… comforting."

Poseidon laughed at that, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure. Now come, they are waiting."

Poseidon nodded to the guards, who took hold of the large brazen doors. Once Poseidon had set his face into a neutral expression, the guards swung the doors open.

Instantly, the chattering silenced, and all heads swiveled to us.

I held my chin a little higher, trying not to ogle at all the people here. The room was packed from top to bottom, making it look like a crowded fish tank at the pet store.

Mer people of all kinds had traveled here from across the kingdom; noblemen, governors, senators, businessmen, the likes. Not to mention countless mermaids in long flattering jewelry and fancy attire.

I tried not to let my hands shake in nervousness.

Sensing my thoughts, Poseidon placed a hand reassuringly on my shoulder.

"Ladies and gentlemen. A sincere thank you for coming tonight. As you all know, it is the tradition and custom of our people to first see the surface once we reach sixteen years. My son, Prince _Perseus_ , has reached this age today!"

There was a burst of excited cheering from the crowd. Poseidon raised his hand to silence them.

"After refreshments, and a ceremony, Perseus will venture up alone, and see the sky for the first time. So I ask that you be patient. It is not everyday a mer's son grows to this age."

Some of the older people in the crowd chuckled knowingly, having gone through this same process.

"Please, enjoy the festivities."

Another round of cheering erupted from the crowd, and Poseidon leaned down. "Go talk to some people." He whispered. "Get comfortable before the ceremony."

I nodded mutely in response, and swam into the crowd.

There were so many people, I didn't know who to start with. Then again, I didn't want to look like an idiot, so I swam over to one of the tables crowded with pastries. Cautiously, I picked up a yellow fruit bar and took an unappetizing nibble out of the corner. It was too fancy.

Of course, the instant I thought that, my father's exact response materialized in my head:

 _You get that from your mother. She never did like to spoil herself._

I allowed myself a small pang of sadness. I never knew my mother. According to Poseidon, she had died when I was a baby. That was all he was willing to say about her, other than that she'd been very beautiful. She must have been, to catch the king's eye.

Suddenly, a voice pulled me from my musings. "My lord!"

An older merman was swimming towards me. He looked like a wise old man in the forest, with warm, brown eyes and a tail the color of kelp stalks.

He bowed respectfully. "A pleasure to meet you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Folice."

I smiled and bowed back. "Good evening sir. I trust you are enjoying the festivities?"

He raised his head in affirmation. "Of course, my lord. I wish you fortune upon reaching the surface. It truly is a beautiful sight."

I nodded. "Thank you. I'm sure it is."

He turned to leave. "Of course, I must find my wife. She helped arrange some of the bouquets and I fear I may have lost her to the party." His eyes gave an amused twinkle. "Good night my lord."

I bowed again and watched him swim off, swallowed by the crowd.

It wasn't until a few moments later that I realized there was a girl where he'd been standing.

She was considerably pretty, with long, cinnamon-red hair, and a shifting dress with so many layers I couldn't even see her tail underneath.

She stared after the merman I assumed was her father; a look of mortification dancing in her bright eyes.

When she finally turned to me, her cheeks were darkened with an almost green blush. That wasn't all surprising, since her skin itself had a not-so-subtle green tint.

"Sorry about him." She muttered. "He can be so brash sometimes."

Her lack of formality took me slightly off guard, but the fact that she treated me like a normal person was actually kind of refreshing.

"Nah it's fine." I told her. "Sometimes my dad does that too. Let me assure you, it's not the best thing in the world."

She nodded, giving no answer. This induced a moment of awkward silence, in which I felt strangely obligated to eat the rest of my pastry, which was slightly mortifying.

When the silence started to get unbearable, the girl finally dipped into an elegant curtsy. "I'm Juniper." She said. "An honor to finally meet you in person, lord Perseus."

I laughed, feeling relieved she was making an effort. "And I was just beginning to think I was not alone in this sea of formality."

She grinned back. "Don't worry, I'm not _too_ far gone."

"Oh good, there may be hope for you yet."

She giggled in a cute way, and another blush colored her cheeks.

"Wait!" I let my eyes widen in mock fear, and held my hands up. "If you don't mean to be my ' _friend_ ,'" by this, we both knew I meant future queen of Atlantis. "You better distance yourself little maiden. I can be quite the charmer." I gave her a sly wink just to prove my point.

She stifled another giggle. "Well then, sir _charmer_ , I'd better distance myself." She cleared her throat and said loudly,

"Thank you my lord, it has been a most wonderful talk, but I realize you must be awfully busy. I shall leave the honor of being graced by your presence, to others." All of this she said, while bent in a low curtsy.

I applauded vivaciously. "A little thick, but you madam, are a professional groveler."

Juniper smiled, looking very pleased with herself. "Well then, I guess I should get going." She winked at me. "Can't have my dad getting mermanic ideas."

Only a moment after she left, did I realize she'd successfully made a very sexist joke. I chuckled, shaking my head in amusement.

"Hey."

I turned around to see Grover floating behind me, a small smile on his lips.

"I tried to get to you as soon as I could, but it looks like someone beat me to it." He squinted after Juniper. "That girl you were talking to, she seemed nice, didn't she?"

So now Grover was stalking my conversations? Whelp.

I shrugged. "Yeah she wasn't too bad. I like her."

For the briefest of nanoseconds, Grover's expression turned to disappointment, but it was gone as soon as it came, replaced instead with a teasing smirk.

"You _like_ her?"

My face turned beet red. "Grover! Don't be ridiculous! Not like that!"

He cackled. "I'm sure."

I threw my fruit bar at him, finally finding a good use for it. He was so busy falling over with laughter, that he didn't notice until it splattered all over his face.

"Hey!"

He picked up a platter of jelly donuts, and was about to return fire when the sound of a conch horn silenced the room.

I winced. That was my que.

 **A/N:**

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand cliffhanger!**

 ***dabs***

 ***cackles evily***

 ***ducks as vase is thrown over head and shatters somewhere in the background***

 **Alright! Chapter two, in the bag! Hope you guys enjoyed! R &R,**

 **-Amy**


	4. A surprising turn of events

"I can't believe he still let you go up." Grover muttered. "You've seen these stars like, a _thousand_ times."

"Yep, and it doesn't get any less beautiful." I stole a glance at Grover's pouting face. "Oh come on. I bet Dad comes up here all the time."

"No he doesn't! That would make him a terrible king! You know, breaking his own rules and stuff."

"Not unless anyone caught him."

Grover huffed in annoyance. "Can we go back down yet? It's getting cold up here."

I elbowed him in the side. "Oh please, toughen up a bit would ya? It's not going to kill you if–"

Grover's eyes widened. "Get down!" He hissed, and dove underwater.

At first I was confused, but then I followed his gaze and my eyes widened. "Woah." I breathed. "Is that…"

Grover grabbed my fins and yanked me under with a yelp. "Those are humans!" He hissed. "On a big, gigantic boat!" I twisted out of his grip.

"I know! Isn't that so cool? We gotta check it out."

Before Grover could protest, I darted back to the surface and made my way towards the boat. The ship looked much grander than any of measly vessels I'd seen in the harbor, and it was decked out in flowers and glowing orange lights.

"Percy!" Grover whispered. "Get back here!"

I ignored him and kept swimming for the ship. As I got closer, I started to hear voices. There was also the chorus of a kind of string intrument, accompanied by the sweet sound of laughter.

I swam right up to the hull–close enough to see a girl standing on the railing. She was extremely beautiful, even without makeup. Her blonde hair was golden and curly and it was pulled back tight with a blue ribbon. Her face was soft, like she smiled often. Her eyes though, were the most striking. They were a gray fiercer than any storm cloud, ready to zap you with lightning.

But she was smiling now, her eyes skimming over the leaves of paper in her hands. _A book_. I realized, she was reading a book. I couldn't read the text from this far away, but she seemed fairly fixated.

"Annabeth!" A voice called.

I made to dive underwater, but stopped short when I saw a man turned the corner. He had bright blue eyes, and sandy blonde hair. His tan skin made a scar on his left cheek stand out. The girl looked up from her book for the briefest moment, before turning back to it, ignoring the man.

"Oh Annabeth, there you are!" He laughed, sidling up next to her. "When are you going to join the party?"

Her brow twitched, like she was trying to frown but had forgotten how. "When are you going to stop pestering me about it?" She asked, still not looking up.

"Aww, that's no way to be!" He reached across and snatched the book away, holding it high above his head.

"Luke!" Annabeth yelled, now scowling fiercely. "Give it back!" She tried to reach for it, but he was taller than her by a head at least.

"What are you reading now?" He asked, totally unfazed by her outburst. " _Of the Palace_?" He looked bewildered. "Wise girl, you read this five times already!"

"I know." Annabeth snapped. "Now give it back!" She lunged for her treasure, but Luke was quick. He dodged out of the way, grinning maniacally.

"Not unless you join the party!"

"Di immortales! GIVE ME THE BOOK YOU VLACAS!" She screamed, chasing him around the corner and out of sight.

It wasn't until Grover reached over and closed my mouth that I realized I'd been drooling.

"And I thought you only did that in your sleep." He muttered.

I quickly mopped the spittle off my chin. "Guess not."

Grover took my arm. "Come on, we've seen it, we even got to see some humans. Now let's go."

"I want to stay a little longer though! Come on Grover, please?"

He scowled. "Percy, I'm your protector, okay? I'm not supposed to let you do dangerous stuff."

"Grover, these are humans we're talking about. They're hardly dangerous."

Grover's shoulders tensed, like he was thinking something, and it wasn't good.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his next words were cut off by an electric popping sound. Both of us nearly jumped out of the water. "What is that?" I demanded.

Grover looked up and his eyes widened. "Woah."

I followed his gaze and my heart jolted. It looked as if someone had taken a cluster of sea lilies and smashed them into the sky, brightening it with color.

"Fireworks." Grover muttered. "Never thought I'd see them in real life."

The very word made me itch. "What's fire?" Grover looked equally uncomfortable. "It's a human invention, very dangerous. It's only weakness is water." I shuddered, sending ripples out into the water. "That... doesn't sound very good."

"It's not."

I wasn't even sure how he knew what that was, but I wasn't going to question him.

"Well, fire or no, I want a closer look. Come on!"

Grover's eyes widened, and he threw his hands in the air. "How much closer can you get? We're literally right–oh no you don't, get back here!" He chased after me as I swam up to the ship and grabbed one of the rigging.

"Percy!" Grover hissed, watching half in fear, half in anger as I hauled myself up. "This is stupid! What if they see you?"

I smirked at him. "Never underestimate the stealth of someone who trolls his father's palace guard on a daily basis."

Grover crossed his arms and scowled. "That's the palace, Percy. This is a human ship. Those are two very different things!"

I swung off the rope and landed on a curved shelf that seemed to be part of the ship's elegant decoration. Before I could slip off, I hooked my tail around the edge and carefully crawled my way up. "Yeah, if you keep yelling like that, they will see me." I shot Grover a pointed look.

"Percy, I swear, if you don't come down right now–"

"You'll what? Tell my father?"

Grover paled. "N-no. I just don't want you get hurt."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, I'm fine." I flapped my tail against the shelf and pulled myself higher.

"What happens if you fall?"

"I'll fall into the water."

"What if you don't?"

I jumped up and grabbed another ledge, right under the railing. I turned and made a face at Grover. "I won't fall okay? I'll be really careful."

"As careful as you can get on a human ship!"

I waved my hand at him. "Shh! Keep it down!" A wave of laughter drowned out his response, and I turned to peer through a gap in the railing. I nearly balked at the sight of all the humans I saw, but Grover's taunting comments helped me hold the railing tightly. There had to be at least thirty young men and women scattered across the deck.

There was a cleared space in the center, where about five or six couples were dancing to the lively tune of a tube-like instrument. I saw Annabeth and Luke as one of the pairs that twirled around in the circle. Annabeth's hair was spinning wildly, and her eyes sparkled in the faint light of the lanterns.

"Still wanting to read, m'lady?" Luke asked with a grin. He spun Annabeth around. "Why of course good sir!" She answered, skillfully managing to step on his toes with her thick sailor's boots. "The book has more adventure than this dreadful party!"

Luke laughed at that. "Oh come now, Wise girl. I know you're enjoying yourself." She made a face that told him she agreed. "Oh hardly."

I didn't have time to see what happened next, because just then, a wall of black blocked my view.

"AROOF!"

I jerked back so hard that I nearly fell off my perch. When I came to my bearings, I found myself staring into big, happy eyes the shade of red coral

"WOOF!"

The creature opened its mouth and proceeded to slobber all over my face. Despite myself, laughed. It was a dog. I remembered seeing one before, a few years back.

"Hey!" I whispered, as the dog barked again. "Quiet now, we can't let them see us!"

The dog didn't seem to get the memo. Instead, she barked even louder, and dropped down onto her elbows, her back end waggling in excitement.

"WOOF! WOOF!"

I made suppressing motions with my hands. "Shh! Quiet! We can't–"

"Mrs. O'Leary?" Annabeth's voice called.

My eyes widened and I ducked to the side of the rail, pressing my back against the solid wood.

"Whatcha barking at, huh girl?"

"WOOF!"

I stole a glimpse at Annabeth from under the railing. She peered out at the dark water, her gray eyes dancing curiously. I had to hold my breath to to keep it from hitching. Annabeth was a whole lot more beautiful up close.

"WOOF! WOOF!" The dog barked. She was staring straight at me. Fortunately, Annabeth did seem to notice. She smiled fondly at the dog. "Come on girl! You want to play fetch? Come on! Let's go play fetch!"

"AROOF!"

I let out a sigh of relief when the two of them turned away. "That was close." I muttered. I probably should have gone down then, but something made me turn back to the railing. I peered through the gap once more.

On the far side of the deck, Annabeth was tossing a makeshift toy for Mrs. O'Leary. It didn't look much like a game to me, but the two of them seemed to be enjoying it. Every time Annabeth threw the toy, Mrs. O'Leary would run and bring it back to her, occasionally knocking over tables and party guests in the process.

To my left, in the near corner, Luke stood with his back to the wood of the cabin. He watched Annabeth with a sort of brotherly affection. His eyes sparkled fondly, and a soft smile pulled on his lips.

"Luke!" A scrawny boy with wild, curly hair, bounded down the stairs with some kind of device in his hand. He nodded towards the bow, a look of concern on his elvish face. I followed his gaze, and startled to see an angry patch of clouds churning not but a league out. Every few seconds, the clouds would flash, and a faint rumble could be heard.

"It's headed our way." The boy said, holding up his device. Luke scowled at it. "How far away from land are we?" He asked.

The boy bit his lip. "Hard to say with this dark of a sky, but if I had to guess I'd say five leagues." Luke cursed. "Five?"

The boy gave a helpless shrug.

"We could try to turn back now, but we could get blown off course. You do know the harbor is flanked by coves. It would take a miracle to dock before we were smashed against the rocks."

Luke glanced up at the storm, it was moving fast. "What do you suggest?"

The boy slipped the device into his belt. "Get the princess and her ladies down below. We need to secure everything and drop anchor."

Luke nodded, turning to Annabeth, who was now wrestling Mrs. O'Leary on the deck. The dog had grabbed hold of the girl's pant leg and was shaking violently. Annabeth just laughed and lunged for the toy, which they apparently seemed to be fighting over.

"Your Majesty!" Luke called. Annabeth looked up. Wait... _she_ was the princess?

"We need to get you belowdecks. There is a storm coming and–"

"Storm?" Annabeth was instantly on her feet. The first gusts of wind had started whipping her hair about. The lanterns flickered. "I can help, you know I've studied sailing."

Luke shook his head. "No, we need to make sure you're safe! If you got hurt–"

"If I got hurt. Luke, I want help!"

"That won't be necessary."

"Please Luke! I–"

An ear splitting crack of thunder cut her off. Before either of them could act, a bolt of lightning dove from the clouds above and struck the top mast. Ghostly orange apparitions blazed to life as they danced across the beams and licked up the sail. A powerful gust of wind swept past and made them expand until they were climbing down the mast.

The guests screamed and began running around. The men were herding everyone to the smaller boats strapped to the side of the ship. Through the chaos, I saw Annabeth dodge past Luke and run for the captain's wheel.

I didn't see what happened next, because a huge wave crashed in the side of the boat, making it pitch starboard. I yelped as the ship leaned dangerously, and scrambled for something to grab as the tilt nearly made me slide off the shelf. But my perch was already slippery with spray and I slipped off, landing with a splash in the frothing water.

I came up with a sputter, turning to swim for the ship again.

"Percy!"

I turned around and saw Grover fighting his way towards me. "We need to get you back to the palace! It isn't safe up here!" He had to shout to be heard over the wind.

I ignored him. "What is that?" I yelled, pointing to the bright orange apparatus. Rain began to pour down in torrents.

Grover's eyes widened when he followed my finger. "That… is fire."

"I thought you said it was a human invention!"

Grover held up his hand, as if trying to shield his eyes from the rain. "Scratch that! It's a human _tool_. Happens is nature all the time."

A huge wave picked the ship up and seemed to toss it in the air.

"Why isn't the rain putting it out?" I demanded, struggling to reach the ship. "You said water was it's weakness!"

"It's probably too hot… Percy where are you going?!"

I ignored Grover's pleas and pushed onward. Wave after gigantic wave pounded the ship, too low to put the fire out, but high enough to sweep sailors, and party guests alike off the deck.

"LET ME GO YOU LITTLE SKATÁ!"

I whipped my head to the sound, and saw Luke darting across the slippery ship, Annabeth held tightly in his right arm. He carried her, kicking and screaming toward one of the last small boats still up. About five or six people were already inside, frantically trying to unfasten it. Regardless, Luke jumped in and drew a sword, slicing the bindings with one fluid swing. The boat fell towards the water.

No sooner had they landed, than the mother ship went up in flames. The whole deck was on fire. No way was it going to survive.

"WOOF! WOOF!" A dog's panicked barking rang out through the storm.

I turned to gape at the black figure near the cabin of the ship. She cowered, as the ring of fire closed around her.

"Mrs. O'Leary!" Annabeth yelled. The curly haired princess kicked out of Luke's arms and dove into the foaming water. "Annabeth wait!" Luke cried. He tried to grab her but she was already out of his reach. He could only watch as she plowed her way towards the ship and clambered up the ladder, disappearing into the inferno.

I stared at the ship, willing Annabeth to appear with Mrs. O'Leary in her arms, climb back down the ladder, and… nothing happened.

"Annabeth!" Luke yelled. He looked about ready to jump in after her, but the people in the boat held him back.

There was an enormous CRRRRAAACK! From the ship, and the mast split at the base, toppling over. It spread the fire everywhere.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the railing. It was Annabeth, with Mrs. O'Leary wrapped tightly in her arms. Mrs. O'Leary was a huge dog, Annabeth must've been stronger than I'd thought. The wind tore at her hair, and accented her wide eyes as she glanced over her shoulder at the burning ship.

"Annabeth!" Luke called. "Come on! You have to jump!"

She took a step forward, as if to comply, but suddenly, her foot dipped. She gave a pained shriek in response to the sound of splintering wood. She staggered on the deck, but couldn't seem to move her left leg. It was stuck.

She looked over her shoulder again, and her jaw went slack. She turned back to the water with an expression of panic. The ship pitched, and groaned dangerously. Annabeth lost her balance, and her grip. She slammed into the railing, and Mrs. O'Leary flew over the edge, landing near Luke's boat with a yelp and a huge splash.

Annabeth wasn't so lucky. No sooner had Mrs. O'Leary been released, than a foreboding tremor resonated from inside the boat. A moment later, the ship exploded.

"ANNABETH!" Luke screamed. His blue eyes were wide with panic, and his shipmates could barely hold him down.

Debris was everywhere, and I had to duck underwater to avoid getting nailed with a plank.

"Percy!" I turned and found Grover navigating his way towards me. Somehow we'd been separated by the waves. "Percy, we need to go. Now!" His tone reminded me of my father. "It isn't safe up here!"

I bit my lip. "I… I can't! I–" Before I could make up a logical excuse, a flash of blonde caught my eye. I turned just in time to see Annabeth's unconscious body slip underwater.

My eyes widened, and without thinking, I dove after her.

"Percy wait–!"

Grover's words were drowned out by the ringing in my ears. Searching frantically, I dodged past debris, whipping my head this way and that. The water was dark, and foamed with bubbles rising to the surface. Finally, I spotted Annabeth.

Her limp form was sinking slowly trough the water, blonde hair floating around her face like a halo. I shot towards her, gently wrapping my arms around her waist, and hauled her to the surface.

My first thought was to find Luke and bring her to him. But none of the boats were in sight, and I wondered that they'd probably been swept away by the currents. No, even if I did find him, there wasn't a huge chance that Annabeth would survive.

My inner compass was spinning wildly, but finally, I got my gut to settle. Slightly surprised, I turned west. The beach. That was an option. And it was closer than I'd originally thought. I swam like the world depended on it.

 **A/N:**

 ***dives under table***

 ***cowers***

 **I know I know! I'm sorry! It took me forever to update! Really sorry guys, I've just been really busy, and haven't found a lot of time to work on this fic. But seriously tho, this was pretty long chapter regardless, so... yeah. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, and please review!**

 **-Amy**


	5. Until next time

It was morning by the time I pulled Annabeth onto the beach. Watching as the sun floated up into a blue, cloudless sky.

Annabeth was unconscious, and her clothes were tattered. Her skin had abandoned its original tan for a paler hue. I lifted her arm, watching as it fell gently back to the ground.

"S-she's not dead… is she?" I whispered, turning around. Grover surveyed from the water–at a distance, staring at me with an accusing expression.

"Hard to say." He muttered with a scowl. "Humans are really fragile." He glanced up at the sun, which was climbing higher wit's every passing minute. "Percy, we should really go now. Your dad is going to be out of his mind with worry."

I waved him off, leaning over Annabeth again. "I'm not leaving until I know she's okay."

Grover sighed in frustration. "Percy…"

"No! I'm not going to leave her."

Grover huffed, but we both knew there was nothing he could do that would make me budge. When I was this stubborn, the best thing to do was to make sure I stayed out of trouble.

Thinking hard over my lessons, I trailed my fingers along Annabeth's neck until I found her main artery. Her pulse was strong, despite her fickle appearance. Touching her, gave me a humming sensation, that raced up my arm. As I moved my hand lower, to her ribs, the humming intensified. There was water in her lungs. Now that was something I could fix.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on Annabeth. I felt the water bending to my will, and within a matter of seconds, she was coughing furiously, water spewing from her mouth.

I heard Grover suck in a sharp breath. "Percy!" He hissed in warning. I knew what he was trying to tell me; Annabeth would be awake soon. If she saw me, I'd be in huge trouble. But I wasn't leaving her, not yet.

"AROOF!"

The excited barking of a dog broke the silence. My head jerked up, and I barely had time to react before a wall of black bowled me over.

Over the familiar slobber treatment, and the happy barking, I was slightly aware of Grover shouting in panic.

"Percy!" He yelled. "Get out of there!"

"WOOF! WOOF!" The black wall of fur answered.

I laughed despite myself. This was Annabeth's dog, the one she had saved from the ship. What was her name again? Mrs. O'Leary?

"Mrs. O'Leary!" A new voice called. "Where are you girl?"

"WOOF!"

Someone was approaching. I could hear their footsteps getting closer. In panic, I tried to roll away, but Mrs. O'Leary had two big paws on my chest, and she didn't seem too keen on letting me up.

"Get off!" I hissed, my fear mounting.

"Mrs. O'Leary?"

"AROOF!"

The dog considered me for a few seconds longer than I would have liked. She seemed to be wondering why I wouldn't want to be seen by whoever was coming. As if she wanted to… recognize me for saving Annabeth. I couldn't have cared less whether or not I was seen as a hero, all I cared about right now, was Annabeth's safety, and getting to the water. _Now_.

Mrs. O'Leary cocked her head. She seemed mildly disappointed, but finally let me go. And not a moment too soon; the instant I dove back into the water, a man rounded the corner.

I ducked behind a rock to watch.

When I saw him, I had a flicker of recognition. It was Luke. He looked absolutely terrible–almost as bad as Annabeth. He had black rings under his eyes, and his skin looked sickly and pale, as if he had spent the last twelve years, wasting away in a prison. Knowing what little I did about him, I would guess that he'd been worried sick over the princess.

His eyes widened when he saw Annabeth. In an instant, he was at her side. "Annabeth!" He cried. Then turning to Mrs. O'Leary, he said, "Good girl! Very good girl!"

"WOOF!" The dog barked happily, her tail wagging. She looked over at me, obviously unaware that I was trying to be inconspicuous. I quickly jerked out of sight, but Luke was too busy to notice.

Slowly peering around the rock, I noticed Annabeth had chosen that moment to stir. She gave a weak cough and her eyes fluttered open. Even from such a distance, I could tell that they had lost some of their earlier intensity, but that didn't make my heart clench any less when I saw them.

"Annabeth!" Luke cried. He wrapped her in a hug that rivaled a colossal squid's. Her eyes widened and she pounded Luke on the shoulder, clearly ordering him to let go. When he did, she exhaled visibly.

"Sorry." he murmured. But after a beat, he embraced her again. "I thought you were dead!" He cried. He pulled back, eyes scanning Annabeth, as if he were looking for imperfections. He frowned. "You… you should be dead. How did you survive?"

She had a confused expression. "I…" Her gaze traveled in my direction, and I hid again. Thankfully, she hadn't seen.

"I don't know." She finally answered. "I probably just washed up on the beach."

I turned in time to see Luke scowl. "Only your _dead body_ would do that."

Annabeth shrugged helplessly in response. "Well then, I don't know. Maybe a merman rescued me or something."

At this, Luke's scowl dissolved and he laughed out loud. "Don't be ridiculous Annabeth! Mer folk are just tales spun by drunken sailors. I think you've swallowed a bit too much seawater, hmm?" His eyes twinkled as he grinned at her. "Come on, I know a certain woman who would be overjoyed to see you safe." He stood and reached out a hand to her. As she took it, he helped her wobble to her feet. "Let's get you home, princess."

At that, they staggered off, Annabeth leaning heavily on Luke for support. Mrs. O'Leary turned, and was about to follow them, when instead she stopped, and stole a glance at me. She cocked her head, tongue lolling out.

"WOOF!"

She scampered back a few paces, then turned to me again, as if asking me to come.

I shook my head furiously, pointing at Luke's receding figure instead.

"WOOF WOOF!"

I shook my head again. "Go!" I told her, my voice barely above a whisper. "Go on!"

"Mrs. O'Leary? Come on girl! Stop barking at the seagulls."

After one last look at me, she lowered her head and trotted after her mistress.

 **A/N:**

 **Just because I'm so nice, this is all you're getting ;). I know, I know, some of you have been waiting** ** _forever_** **for the next chapter, but try not to get too excited. I have a lot of stuff on my hands right now, so please** ** _excuse me_** **if I don't update for a while. FanFiction isn't really one of my top priorities.**

 **As for other stuffs, whoever told me that Keefe's EYES WERE ICE-BLUE LIED TO ME. NO. MARELLA'S EYES ARE ICE-BLUE. KEEFE'S EYES ARE SKY-BLUE. I knew I was right! Ugh, I'm so changing that. Also please stop leaving reviews on how you want me to continue Loop Holes. It's a one-shot. End of discussion.**

 **Yeah, well, on that note, I'm going to** ** _try_** **to add another PJO one-shot to my list of PJO oneshots. It's going to be about Mrs. O'Leary, so if you could toss me any ideas for the title that'd be great.**

 **Whew! Okay, sorry for acting really prickly rn, but I promise I'll try to be nicer ^^. Thank you guys so much for your support, and happy reading! R &R**

 **-Amy**


	6. A special gift

I picked at my food, my appetite all but diminished. The half-eaten fish made an empty scraping sound as it slid around my plate. My family and friends were staring at me, trying to gauge the source of my mellow atmosphere.

Finally, Grover cleared his throat. "Uhm… Percy?"

I barely noticed.

"Percy!"

I jumped so hard that I stabbed my fork into the table with a resounding, _THUNK_. "Huh? What?"

Grover winced. "Dude. You've been moping around the palace for the past few _weeks_. Are you okay?"

I turned back to my food. "Um… yeah. I'm fine."

I could tell by his hesitation that he didn't believe me. "Hey, does this have anything to do with–"

"No."

There was a long pause. By now, everyone in the room was watching Grover and I's exchange like a tennis match. Well, except for the guards. They were all as silent and still as stone (spare Connor Stoll of course. He was over in a corner, smirking at me. When he noticed my glance in his direction, he gave me a sly wink).

There was a loud clatter, and Triton rose and quickly excused himself. He darted from the enormous room without another word, not even bothering to glare at me on the way out. A few silent, and exceedingly agonizing moments later, Amphitrite followed suit–as did Rhode and Kymopoleia, leaving my father, Tyson, Grover, and I to deal with the tension.

That side of the family never really cared for me all that much. Not that it mattered: it was really only Triton that despised me. Amphitrite and her daughters leaned more to the "uncomfortable" side of the spectrum, and Rhode and Kym were always a lot more focused on whatever it was girls did to fill their time.

When the silence endured, and kept enduring, Poseidon finally cleared his throat. We all turned to look at him. He didn't say anything, just shot a look to Grover. I almost groaned aloud. Whenever he did that, it usually meant that he wanted to talk to my best friend. Alone, preferably.

I felt Grover give the slightest nod beside me, and I wanted to roll my eyes. Instead, I stood and excused myself. "Yeah, um, I'm gonna go… do… stuff." I swam off before anyone could stop me.

Even if it hadn't been said outright, Grover knew I was still thinking of my birthday; or more specifically, the part where I had witnessed a shipwreck, and rescued the princess of the kingdom that had been responsible for killing my mother. If Poseidon ever found out, he would probably scale me alive. No doubt he'd be asking Grover about it tonight, and that–generally–made me terrified.

I came to a stop in front of a large, marble door, with sea-green jewels set into a graceful arc at the top. I'd always hated the way it had been designed (even more so now that I realized the stone was the same color as Annabeth's eyes), but I'd had no say in the matter–which was why I'd taken full reign of decorating the room inside.

I pushed the door open, taking a deep breath before swimming forward. At a first glance, everything was a cluttered mess. Which was… yeah. Everything was a cluttered mess. I didn't mind–in fact that was how I preferred it. Having someone else cyclone through and organize all my stuff had always made me feel uncomfortable, as if they'd seen all my personal things. But there was another reason for that.

Checking to make sure I was alone, I pulled one of my curtains just slightly back from the wall. Running my hand along the smooth stone, I felt my fingers brush into a familiar groove. A grinding noise filled the room. The floor trembled a little.

When the sound stopped, I swam to the opposite wall. In front of me, was a tapestry of a sailor's ship: much like the one Annabeth had been on. I decided to savor the irony later. I checked one last time to make sure I was alone, and slipped behind the tapestry, disappearing into the hole behind it.

As soon as I swam through, the grinding noise repeated. I turned and watched as two panels slid shut across the entrance, creating the illusion of a smooth stone wall. I pressed my hand against the stone, letting it cool my skin. I sat there for a moment, not doing anything, before finally turning around.

There was a narrow tunnel before me, with a small, broken grate at the mouth. I swam forward. In the center of the grate, the two middle bars were bent so there was just enough room to wriggle through. It was probably just big enough that my father could get stuck if he wanted. Although of course, he'd probably just bend the bars further back.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes again, I put my hands on the bars and slipped through the grate.

The room I had entered was actually more of a cavern than anything. It was filled top to bottom with all kinds of knick knacks– _human_ –things, that I had collected over the years. Most of them were half damaged trinkets, that had been salvaged from old shipwrecks. This cavern also kind of doubled as my quiet place. I came here a lot when I wanted to calm down.

I let out a heavy sigh, and let myself sink to the smooth granite on the floor. I flopped onto my back, staring up at the tiny window fifty feet above. Delicate shafts of light from the setting sun danced their way to down me.

I was still in the same position when Grover found me minutes later. The grinding of the trapdoor gave away his entrance, but I didn't bother acknowledging him.

"I thought you might be in here." He grunted as he squeezed through the grate. When I didn't respond, he swam over and sat next to me. "You're still thinking about her aren't you?"

I finally looked over at him. "I just… I just don't see them the way he does." I reached over and picked up a human fork from the ground. It's strange prongs were bent and twisted–from the wreck I presumed. "I don't understand how they could be so bad. I mean, take Annabeth for instance. She risked her life for a _dog_. She didn't have to, but she did it anyway. Brave, selfless, how are those detestable qualities?"

Grover was quiet.

"And Luke, he cared so much about his friend that it took five people to hold him down when her life was in danger." I looked up at Grover with an expression of desperation. "I just don't understand!"

My friend sighed. "Percy… you know why he's bitter."

I sat up and threw the fork across the cavern, where it clattered against a candle stand and disappeared from view. "Mom died years ago! People have changed since then!"

I pushed off the floor and swam up to one of the shelves, resting my elbows on the edge and burying my face in my hands. I let out a frustrated huff.

Grover sighed softly. "Percy, he really loved her." I could felt my friend coming up after me. He put a hand on my shoulder. "When the love of your life is killed for no good reason, you tend to think that you have to protect everyone from those cold-blooded monsters."

"But they're not!" I insisted, turning to my friend. "They aren't monsters. They're just like us!"

Grover's expression was sad. "Percy you don't understand. He's never given them a chance, and he never will. Think about it. To Poseidon, you're all he has left of your mother. He doesn't want to lose you too."

I glanced around angrily, looking for something else to throw. "So that's all I am?" I demanded. "A reminder of his past affair?"

I felt my hand close around something small and metal, but when I tried to launch it across the room, it bit into my hand. I yelped, trying to shake the fishing hook out of my palm. Before I could tear the skin any further, Grover grabbed my wrist. "Hey! Calm down!" He said, giving a small chuckle at my childish behavior. He then proceeded to gently slide the hook out of my skin. I winced slightly, trying not to cry out in pain.

It was then that I noticed he held one hand behind his back, like he was holding something.

I pointed at his arm. "What's that?" I asked, completely forgetting about my hand.

He noticed my sudden attentiveness and grinned. "Well, I wanted to make it up to for not giving you a birthday present earlier. So... I got you something really nice." Then out from behind his back, he pulled a fearsome, breaktaking, awe-inspiring… book.

It was a human book sure, but it wasn't like I didn't have those already. Then I took a closer look and my eyes widened. "No way!" I snatched the book from his hands and stared at it. "How did you get this?"

Grover smiled, rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, I went back to where the ship wrecked. I knew you'd want something from there, just for the sake of it. Then I found this, and well…"

"This is awesome!" I cried, punching Grover in the arm. "Dude, you're the best!" My friend laughed happily. "So that's it then? That's the one?"

"Oh this is definitely it!" I held the book to the light, brushing some grime off the cover. The silver cursive was murder on my eyes, but the picture of it was burned into my mind, and I knew what it said. _Of the Palace_.

This was Annabeth's book.

 **A/N:**

 **Hey y'all! Thanks for being so patient. I know that it's kind of unsatifying to have such short chapters, but I don't exactly have a lot of time on my hands. For the person that commented on my JBA crossover, I promise promise** ** _promise_** **that I am working on the second chapter! It will probably take a while, but it** ** _is_** **coming.**

 **Another thing, guys... I know I told you I would write a Sofitz fic, but I just haven't had the time! I'm thinking about writing it soon though, so be prepared! Also, ideas wouldn't hurt either, if you have any. Ah yes, speaking of ideas, I'm going to need some for my PJO one-shots. I only have a few shots out there and I want to expand! I know, I know, some of you have already given me ideas, but those are all in progress and have all come to writer's block in one way or another. So please, be generous!**

 **Well, see you next time my little muffins!**

 **-Amy**


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